by Ben Winston
Alan leaned closer to Andreya. "Please ask Kevin and Stacy to go over there and make sure no one gets too hot or hurts themselves."
He had no more than finished speaking than the passenger door opened and a very handsome women dressed in a Terran Officer's uniform stepped out and turned to help another, smaller women in civilian clothes out of the shuttle. The pair then turned and approached Alan and the General.
Alan came to attention and saluted the women. Although she was of lower rank than he was, she was the base commander. General Irons aped him.
"Commander T'dran, welcome to Williams Base. May I present your American Military liaison officer, Brigadier Gerenal Arlan Irons. This other gentlemen is Colonel William Dentin; Ground Commander of the 18th Regimental Strike Group." Alan said making introductions. "I am Colonel Alan Carlson of the Raptor Poseidon."
After shaking their hands Almas bowed to them. "Gentlemen, please allow me to make known to you my mate, Glen T'dran." When the men had greeted the other lady, Almas continued. "Colonel, I've been reading the reports on this base; you have done very good work here. I understand that initial construction is almost complete?"
Alan smiled at the women. "We received an 'end of task' confirmation twenty minutes ago, Commander. The base is finished. The Admiral tells me that your fighters will begin arriving in a couple of hours. As soon as they finish landing, we will depart."
"Can't you at least stay for dinner, Colonel?" Glen asked hopefully.
Alan grinned at the younger looking woman. "As appealing as that offer is, Mrs. T'dran I'm afraid we cannot. We have fallen behind schedule already and the next base compliment will begin arriving in three days. Thank you for the offer, but we have to be on our way as soon as the fighters land." He turned back to Almas. "It's rather hot out here today, Commander, please allow us to show you to your quarters."
"It is rather hot out here so that would be appreciated, thank you. Is it always this warm here?" she asked.
"This is actually a milder day for this region, Commander," Dentin replied answering her question. "During the height of summer and autumn it can get much warmer on the surface."
Later that day, as the last of the fighters landed Alan presented Almas with the official documents activating the base. The framed paper document was printed in both Alliance Standard as well as English and featured the signatures of Admiral Williams, Luke Belden, the President of the United States, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and finally the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Commander T’dran turned to Alan and saluted. “Colonel, this base is now fully operational. You are relieved – with our gratitude.”
Alan returned the salute. “Thank you, Commander. There is much more to do. With your permission, we will lift as soon as possible.” The courtesy of ‘permission’ was just that, courtesy, and actually couldn’t be refused by T’dran, but protocol was always a good idea.
“Granted, Commander. Come back and visit us again sometime,” T’dran answered.
“General,” Alan said, turning to the bewildered man. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again someday."
The comment seemed strange to the General, but he shook the offered hand anyway. “It's a small world, Colonel, I'm sure we'll run across one another again.”
“Sir, since Colonel Dentin couldn't be here, could you pass along my good-byes to him as well? He's a good man; he did good work here," Alan said.
"I'll certainly do that, Colonel. God Speed and give 'em hell, Son!"
Chapter Seven
Pleiades III
Inter-Planetary Space
Centauri System
Sol Sector
Ian was surprised that so many notables had accepted the invitation to come to this commissioning ceremony. As a sign of trust and cooperation with the leaders of Earth, invitations had been sent out to all the world leaders, most of the Ambassadors to the United Nations as well as the Secretary General.
He hadn't expected so many of them to accept especially in light of the number of 'aliens' that would also be attending. Invitations had been sent to the Alliance Ambassadors and High Command staff, as well as New Talos and Benesia. Many of them had accepted and it made for a very crowded gallery.
Ian had to beef up security in the sector just because so many important leaders were attending. At least the ceremony was taking place here on Pleiades III one of the two largest of the Pleiades stations so there was actually room for everyone.
Originally, only four Pleiades stations had been planned; one of them larger than the others and capable of building only capitol ships. However, due to the need for upgrades and new ships for the other races, three more stations had been added. Pleiades III had been the original capitol station. Pleiades IV, V and VII were 'normal' sized. While the smaller stations were coming on line this week, Pleiades VI would be finished in another month; just in time for it to be destroyed in the coming battle.
Today was an important one for the Terrans; not only were they commissioning the first of a new class of battleship, but Ian would also be activating their first official fleet unit; the 1st Terran Guardians. Maybe that was why nineteen Earth leaders, the Secretary General and fifty-two UN Ambassadors had accepted the invitation. There was also many of Earth's senior military leaders here as well. Surprisingly, they all seemed to be getting along, although some of them were avoiding each other.
Perhaps the largest surprise to Ian was the presence of Kim Duc Pong-ju, the Premier of North Korea. He was escorted by the Croanian Marine Colonel Ian had assigned to that country for the defense installations. Colonel Tr'aen had reported not only success in his mission, but reported that he was making progress with normalizing relations with the dictator's communist regime. Not only had the Colonel gotten North Korea to declare a 'cessation on hostilities' against the Terrans, the small country was now actively assisting in their defense preparations.
Ian remembered the report from the Colonel. "Sir, there is no question the man is insane and should not be allowed the reins of power here. However, we did manage to communicate to him an understanding of our position with regards to his rule. He seems to have developed an understanding of my culture and through that is learning to understand the diversity of others. He still hates the United States and is obsessed with 'consolidating' his country, but he is no longer actively working towards that goal.
"I convinced him of my sincerity in the appreciation of his military; they do have well trained and highly disciplined troops, most of whom show signs of intense mental conditioning. Once that was accomplished, he willingly let us have a division of 'his best' infantry. He is now very active and involved in assisting us in the setting up of the defense installations.
"I am still working on getting him to agree to the destruction of his nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He says that those weapons are for the defense of his nation. I swore a blood oath to him that while I lived, no one would use military means to attack his nation. That seemed to impress him, but I get the feeling from him that the plans for those weapons had little to do with defense. I feel he had intended them to be used against other nations for purposes of invasion and subjugation. I did tell him that we would not allow that either."
Surprisingly, North Korea was also one of the first nations to add 'Alliance Common' as a language in it's schools. It appeared that North Korea now considered the Alliance of Races, at least, to be an ally.
There were also representatives from the Muslim countries attending, although Ian felt it was more of an inspection to assure themselves of the religious freedoms Terrans had promised. They were still not happy that religion had no say in government, but they accepted it.
Most of the other VIP's would be taking the opportunity to visit Atlas and see the sites of another planet. Some would also be visiting the moon and Mars on their way back to Earth. AQ few of the leaders would be returning to the Planet as soon as the ceremony was complete simply because t
heir schedule didn't allow a longer stay. Ian made sure the Council extended an open invitation to those leaders for when they did have the time for a more relaxed visit.
However, the time had come for the main event; the christening of the new ship. Ian took the stage and asked everyone to please take their seats. Behind him, outside the huge windows, the bow of the large vessel was clearly seen, awaiting the bottle of Atlas Champaign that would signal it's commissioning. The name of the craft, which had been a closely guarded secret, was holographically obscured until Ian announced it.
Ian smiled at the assembled dignitaries and began his speech. He spoke for almost an hour before the actual event. Once the ship was launched to the applause of the guests, and the TDF Terra moved slowly away from the dock, Ian turned back to the guests.
"Now, for the really important part!" Ian said, grinning. "Who won the naming pool for the ship. While it's not officially a part of the ceremony, it is important to the morale of the men and women working to build all of this. The prize pool for this event is the choice of a one civilian luxury item, a week's paid leave with free travel, and the pool of entry fees. In the event of multiple winners, the poll will be divided evenly, but each person will receive the luxury item and the leave.
"Halcyone," Ian asked the Station AI. "Who won?"
"Admiral, I'm happy to announce that there are two winners," the AI replied. "Lieutenant Sandra Craig, Pleiades station II bio-engineering department and Brett Stiles of the Mars facility small craft assembly crew. Congratulations to both of you!" The event had been televised not only to the Terran facilities, but shown via web-cast on Earth as well.
Ian nodded. "Yes, congratulations folks and thank you all for your hard work getting our defenses built so quickly and so efficiently. Incidentally, how large was the pot they will be splitting, Halcyone?"
"They'll be splitting eighty-four thousand credits, Admiral. That should easily cover the cost of the vacation!" She replied.
"Yes it should, now I'm envious! Thank you Halcyone. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming today to help us make sure the ship got a good send off. Please, enjoy your meal," Ian finished and bowed. He stepped away from the podium to rejoin the table with Jenny, Beth, General Anders, Admiral Goya, and Admiral H'joles.
"Ian, how many of the Terra-class battleships do you have planned?" Admiral Goya asked.
"For now, only ten. The second ship will be finished in a couple of weeks so we'll have it available for the battle, but the next one won't be ready in time. Provided we survive the battle intact, we'll finish the production run and send the ships out to the Alliance for testing. If they prove as effective as we hope they will, we'll begin another run of thirty more." Ian winked at him. "Don't worry sir, I'll make sure you get a couple to play with!"
"Now that the battleship is finished, will you be transferring your flag over to it?" Admiral H'joles asked.
Ian shook his head. "No, I'll keep Star Dancer. I've been through too much with her to leave her now. I'd planned on forming a small, fast response fleet around Star Dancer and Prometheus with lighter ships and troops transports. We'll probably stay here in Sol Sector most of the time, but I wanted to test the idea. Such a unit could respond to emergencies faster or perform surgical strikes on distant targets where fleet support would be problematic. The jobs that are just too big for the Raptors to handle."
H'joles nodded. "I think I understand, like a strike against the Grimaria base if that would have been the only target?"
"Yes, that's what actually gave me the idea. The Empire already has a similar type of force, although for them it seems to be more of a fleet configuration function than a dedicated force. They tend to throw together a force of ten to twenty lighter ships united supported by one or two heavy units. The difference here would be that our force would train together and learn to trust and work together far better than a farce like the Empire uses. In theory, they should be a stronger force," Ian explained.
"The only problem I can see is that the sector command ship will be leading them," Admiral Goya replied. "You are too important to the defense of this sector and the over-all defense of this quadrant to be risked in strikes of the nature you are describing, Ian."
"You know, I actually considered that point when I thought of this. I just feel in order for me to remain an effective leader, I need to be out there facing the enemy and experiencing the same things our troops are going through. I feel more of a connection with them because I'll be there with them. I know it's a risk, but it's one I feel I should take," Ian replied.
"Just keep one thing in mind, Ian. If you get killed out there, I'll have to order Colonel Jana and her Raptor teams to make an assault on Sh'ha'rathma to bring you back so I can beat you senseless," H'joles replied, referring to his race's version of hell. "Ah, If you will excuse me, Colonel Tr'aen asked me to speak to his guest before they departed for Earth."
"One thing of not about that man, Admiral," Ian said. "He is an insane dictator who honestly and truly believes his life is the life of his nation. He knows that if he dies or is injured, his nation will suffer the same fate. He knows that his nation is there for the sole purpose of serving him. It's beyond a belief for him; it's his reality."
H'joles looked confused. "Why would Tr'aen swear a blood oath to such a man?"
"He didn't, Sir. He swore it to the country. Since Premier Kim is confident that he is the country, he felt the oath was to him personally," Ian replied.
"A very delicate situation," H'joles replied. "Perhaps it would be better if that man did not survive the coming ordeal." He snorted. "That is a matter for the fates to decide. Thank you for the warning, Ian." He bowed to the other guests at the table before moving over to the table with the North Korean leader.
"Is that man really that bad?" Goya asked. "How was he placed in power if he is?"
"His father instituted something called the 'Pleasure Brigade'. What they do is take very young girls and put them into a very intense training and indoctrination program for years. Once they reach the age of about fourteen, they are brought to the Premier. He selects the ones he wants and the rest are put into the regular military. The girls selected are used by the Premier as concubines and body guards in addition to his regular guards.
"He has such a hold on the people of his country that no one dares protest things like that. If they do, they simply disappear or are put to death for treason. If anyone speaks out against the ruling regime at all they are imprisoned as disruptive," Jenny replied.
"I'm surprised someone hasn't killed him by now," Goya replied. "Leaders like that trend to have short careers."
"No one can get close to him. Besides, it's been this way for so many years in that country that the people accept it as simply the way things should be. His country has been like this for generations," Beth replied. "He isn't the only dictator on Earth, but he is one of the worst."
Goya nodded. "There is still a great deal about your home that I still do not understand. Which could simply be it is just so different it's difficult for outsiders to understand."
"Admiral, it isn't just non-terrans that get confused. There are quite a few of us that don't understand it either, but it is the way it is. Wars have been fought over it, but so far, nothing has actually changed," Ian replied. "The hardest part is that the people of countries like North Korea are so indoctrinated that it makes it difficult to help them. Just because we know what he's doing in that country is wrong, what right do we have to interfere if the people don't want us too?"
Goya nodded. "It is a sticky ethical question. We can't offer assistance without a clear majority of the people requesting it, but we also have to ask; are the people being suppressed capable of making that decision? Who is to say?" He paused. "Our Alliance Ambassador has told the Council that the Alliance of Races Council is facing a similar issue in regards to the worlds that have been occupied for centuries. Do we have the right to liberate them from the Empire? They have been Imperial subject
worlds for so long, do they even want to be liberated?"
Ian shook his head. "I'll worry about that after we survive what the Empire is coming here to do. However, from what I've seen from the reports from Grimaria, the people on the captured planets are little more than slaves. Still, I suppose though, the same argument could be used about countries like North Korea. Do the people actually want our help? Would we be liberating them or conquering them?"
TDF Star Dancer
Equatorial Orbit
Earth, Sol Sector
Ian was surprised that the dinner didn't last longer, but then again, most of the leaders present didn't actually like each other. Since Ian was having the Star Dancer return to Earth orbit that evening, they got the duty of ferrying the returning leaders back to the planet as well. The duty meant that, despite the late hour, the entire five-hour trip was filled with tours and entertaining the VIPs. By the time Ian was able to return to his quarters after seeing the last of them off the ship, it was almost three in the morning. At least there had been no 'incidents' during the event.
Normally, Ian was in his office by seven, but today he was two hours late. His day didn't improve as he was greeted with the news of armed attacks on defense installations in South America. In a mountainous region south of Bogota, Columbia, an orbital defense installation was attacked by a group of 'insurgents'.
